One night I felt so powerless that I got down on my knees and pleaded for help. “Please God, I can’t do anything more for my son. I’m at the end of my rope. I’m giving the whole thing up to you.”

    I was at work when I got a phone call. A man introduced himself as the headmaster. “I want to talk to you about Karl’s absences.” Before he could say another word, I choked up and all my disappointment and sadness over Karl came pouring out into the ears of this stranger. “I love my son but I just don’t know what to do. I've tried everything to get Karl to go back to school and nothing has worked．It’s out of my hands.” For a moment there was silence on the other end of the line. The headmaster seriously said, “Thank you for your time,” and hung up.

    Karl’s next report card showed a marked improvement in his grades. Finally, he even made the honor roll. In his fourth year, I attended a parent-teacher meeting with Karl. I noticed that his teachers were astonished at the way he had turned himself around．On our way home, he said, “Mum, remember that call from the headmaster last year?” I nodded．“That was me. I thought I’d play a joke but when I heard what you said, it really hit me how much I was hurting you. That’s when I knew I had to make you proud.”

    1. By saying “Karl became withdrawn”, the author means that the boy changed entirely and ______.

A．preferred to stay alone at home

B．lost interest in his studies

C．refused to talk to others

D．began to dislike his mother

    2. There was silence on the other end of the line because ______.

A．the speaker was too moved to say anything to the mother

B．the speaker waited for the mother to finish speaking

C．the speaker didn’t want the mother to recognize his voice

D．the speaker was unable to interrupt the mother

    3. The sentence “... he even made the honor roll” means that “_________”.

A．he was even on the list to be praised at the parent teacher meeting

B．he was even on the list of students who made progress in grades

C．he was even on the list of students who had turned themselves around

D．he was even on the list of the best students at school

    4. What is the main idea of this passage?

A．Children in single-parent families often have mental problems.

B．Mother’s love plays" an important role in teenagers’ life.

C．Being understood by parents is very important to teenagers.

D．School education doesn’t work without full support from parents.

    One of the ways these people wrongly support their view is pointing to 100-year-old homes which are still solid, and arguing that it is the craftsmanship that is responsible for their durability (持久性). “Homes in those days were well built,” they say. No doubt these homes were well-built, but what these people have done is mix up the quality of material used in the house with the quality of the craftsmanship.

    Homes today could be built to last just as long as those old homes if people were willing or able to pay the price. For example, more people can no longer afford solid oak stairways, although they were once fairly common in older homes. Nor can they afford the high labor cost of employing a carpenter (木匠) to build the stairway. Yet if someone can pay the high cost, there are still plenty of carpenters around able to make those stairways. And not only would these carpenters know how to build them, they would probably do a better job than carpenters of old.

    One thing the modern carpenter has which enables him to do a better job is much more advanced tools. Such tools as laser beams and power planes help them lay out a house better and make more precision cuts (精确切割) on the wood, Also, it is not uncommon any more to find carpenters with college degrees and carpenters with a solid knowledge of mathematics, which would enable them to deal with more difficult house designs.

    The problem of modern quality, then, really boils down to the problem of material, for the modern carpenter is just as able to produce craftsmanship as the carpenter of fifty years ago, but only if given proper material.

1. Compared to the carpenters in the past, modern carpenters are _____.

A. more successful

B. more learned

C. more imaginative

D. more hardworking

2. What does the underlined word “they” (Paragraph2) refer to?

A. Carpenters who are fond of oak stairways.

B. Carpenters who have college degrees.

C. People who think highly of carpenters of old.

D. People who think that modern material is of low quality.

3. What does the third paragraph mainly discuss?

A. People in the past preferred to use oak to build stair ways.

B. It is now expensive to employ a carpenter.

C. Modern houses last as long as the old ones.

D. Good carpenters still exist in modern times.

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A. Is Craft Dead?

B. Craft, Back to Life?

C. History of Craftsmanship.

D. Carpenters Today and Yesterday.

    Outside among the trees, watch the wildlife—both the human and animal varieties. Call (212) 360-3465 or (212)360-2726 for daily events and tours.  Central Park stretches from 59^th to 110^th Sts, and from 5^th Ave. to Central Park West.

    Empire State Building

    This is among the most striking buildings in the city, the nation, even the world. The observation deck (瞭望台) on the 86^th floor is open to the general public, offering a wonderful view of the city. On the second floor you'll find the New York Skyride, a simulated (模拟的) helicopter ride over Manhattan 5^th Ave. at 34^th St. , Midtown/ (212) 736-3100.

    Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum

    Five blocks west of Time Square, this museum has hundreds of air, deep-sea and space exhibits. Walk the fight deck of the 900-foot-long aircraft carrier Intrepid, see dozens of old and modern aircraft and ride the Intrepid Navy Flight Simulator. Pier 86, W. 46^th St. and 12^th Ave. / (212)245-0072.

    Madison Square Garden

    If it’s big, it probably happens at the Garden. Check out sporting events, concerts and much more. Tours are available. 7^th Ave., town 31^th and 33^th Sts., Midtown / (212)465-6741.

1. The New York Skyride is for ______.

A. sightseeing

B. flight training

C. model plane sports

D. city transportation

2. If a visitor is interested in music, he will probably go to ______.

A. Central Park

B. Empire State Building

C. Intrepid Sea Air-Space Museum

D. Madison Square Garden

3. What is the purpose of these texts?

A. To provide information of living in New York.

B. To provide directions of city traffic in New York.

C. To give visitors a guide to New York.

D. To give a brief introduction to the history of New York.

    Green building means “reducing the impact (影响) of the building on the land”, Taryn Holowka of the U. S. Green Building Council in Washington, D. C. said.

    According to Holowka, buildings account for (占了) 65 percent of total U.S. electricity use.

    But green buildings can reduce energy and water use. Also, the buildings are often located near public transportation such as buses and subways, so that people can drive their cars less. That could be good for the environment, because cars use lots of gas and give off pollution. Green buildings are often built on developed land, so that the buildings don’t destroy forests.

    Marty Dettling is project manager for a building that put these ideas into action.  The Solaire has been called the country’s first green high rise building.  According to Dettling, “We’ve reduced our energy use by one third and our water by 50 percent.”

    The Solaire cuts energy in part by using solar power. “On the face of the building we have solar panels which change the sun’s energy into electricity,” Dettling explained.

    The Solaire also has lights that automatically turn off when people leave the room.  In addition, the building has lots of windows, allowing: people to use the sun for light during the day. The Solaire cuts water by reusing it.

    Not everyone is eager to move into a green building, however. Some people think that things like solar panels cost more money than more traditional energy sources. Anyhow, Holowka said, “It’s going to be big.”

1. In the second paragraph, the underlined words “the building” most probably refer to _____.

A. an ordinary building

B. an energy-saving building

C. a green-colored building

D. a building in Washington,D. C.

2. A green building is often built on an area of land ______.

A. which has thick forests around

B. which has already been used for buildings

C. where people of high income live.

D. where traveling around by car is most convenient

3. When Holowka says in the last paragraph, “It’s going to be big”, she means that green buildings _____.

A. will be more comfortable

B. will become popular in the future

C. will be more environmentally friendly

D. will take the place of traditional buildings

4. What is the main subject discussed in the text?

A. Dettling designed the first green building in the U. S.

B. Energy shortage calls for buildings of new design.

C. Green buildings help protectお environment.

D. The Solaire serves as a model of high buildings.

    As I walked down empty streets under tall buildings, I felt very small and cold. I began running, both to keep warm and to keep away from any possible robbers (抢劫犯). Very few people were still out except a few sad-looking homeless people under blankets.

    About a block from my apartment (公寓房间), I heard a sound behind me.  I turned quickly, half expecting to see someone with a knife or a gun. The street was empty. All I saw was a shining streetlight. Still, the noise had made me nervous, so I started to run faster.  Not until I reached my apartment building and unlocked the door did I realize what the noise had been. It had been my wallet falling to the side walk.

    Suddenly I wasn’t cold or tired anymore. I ran out of the door and back to where I’d heard the noise. Although I searched the sidewalk anxiously for fifteen minutes, my wallet was nowhere to be found.

    Just as I was about to give up the search, I heard the garbage truck (垃圾车) pull up to the sidewalk next to me. When a voice called from the inside, “Alisa Camacho?” I thought I was dreaming. How could this man know my name? The door opened, and out jumped a small red-haired man with an amused look in his eyes. “Is this what you’re looking for?” he asked, holding up a small square shape.

    It was nearly 3a.m. お by the time I got into bed. I wouldn’t get much sleep that night, but I had gotten my wallet back. I also had gotten back some enjoyment of city life. I realized that the city couldn’t be a bad place as long as people were willing to help each other.

1. How did the writer feel when she was walking home after work?

A. Cold and sick.

B. Fortunate and hopeful.

C. Satisfied and cheerful.

D. Disappointed and helpless.

2. From the first paragraph, we learn that the writer was busy _______.

A. solving her problem at the bank

B. taking part in various city activities

C. learning acting in an evening school

D. preparing for the first night show

3. On her way home the writer ________.

A. lost her wallet unknowingly

B. was stopped by a garbage truck driver

C. was robbed of her wallet by an armed man

D. found some homeless people following her

4. In the fifth paragraph, why did the writer say she was dreaming?

A. Someone offered to take her back home.

B. A red-haired man came to see her.

C. She heard someone call her name.

D. Her wallet was found in a garbage truck.

5. From the text, we can infer that the writer ________.

A. would stop working at night

B. would stay on in San Francisco

C. would make friends with cleaners

D. would give up her job at the bank

    At the foot of these mountains, a traveler may see light smoke going up from a village.

    In that village, and in one of the houses (which, to tell the exact truth, was sadly time-worn and weather-beaten), there lived many years ago, a simple, good-natured fellow by the name of Rip Van Winkle.

    Rip’s great weakness was a natural dislike of all kinds of money-making labor. It could not be from lack of diligence(勤劳), for he could sit all day on a wet rock and fish with out saying a word, even though he was not encouraged by a single bite. He would carry a gun on his shoulder for hours, walking through woods and fields to shoot a few birds or squirrels. He would never refuse to help a neighbor, even in the roughest work. The women of the village, too, used to employ him to do such little jobs as their less helpful husbands would not do for them. In a word, Rip was ready to attend to everybody’s business but his own.

    If left to himself, he would have whistled (吹口哨) life away in perfect satisfaction； but his wife was always mad at him for his idleness (懒散). Morning, noon, and night, her tongue was endlessly going, so that he was forced to escape to the outside of the house—the only side which, in truth, belongs to a henpecked husband.

1. Which of the following best describes the Catskill Mountains?

A. They are on the west of the Hudson River.

B. They are very high and beautiful in this area.

C. They can be seen from the Appalachian family.

D. They gather beautiful clouds in blue and purple.

2. The hero of the story is probably

A. hard-working and likes all kinds of work

B. idle and hates all kinds of jobs

C. simple, idle but very dutiful

D. gentle, helpful but a little idle

3. The underlined words “henpecked husband” in the last paragraph probably means a man who _____.

A. likes hunting

B. is afraid of hens

C. loves his wife

D. is afraid of his wife

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A. Catskill Mountains.

B. A Mountain Village.

C. Rip Van Winkle.

D. A Dutiful Husband.

THE BEST SHOPPING IN SYDNEY

Tel: 9231 9300.

SOVEREIGN HILL

This prize-winning living museum is where Australia’s history comes alive! Visit daily or stay for the night and experience life of the Gold Rush days. A wonderful nightly sound and light show, “Blood on the Southern Cross” tells the story of the famous Eureka Uprising.  Enjoy shopping along with real life character and entertainment 4-star hotel and breakfast.

Tel: 5331 1944

ANCHORAGE RESTAU RANT

Come and enjoy our delicious Cantonese seafood right on the water’s edge in the historic fishing port of Williamstown with views of the city centre across Port Phillip Bay.

Open 7 days a week

Lunch: Sunday to Friday

11:00 a. m. ～2:00 p. m.

Dinner: Monday to Saturday

5:00 p. m. ～10:30 p. m.

Tel:  9397 6270 or 9397 7799

COOK’S COTTAGE

Built by James and Grace Cook, parents of Captain James Cook,  Cook’s Cottage stands proud in the Fitzroy Gardens as a re minder of life in the eighteenth century, and as a celebration and commemoration of the life and travels of Captain James Cook.

Open 9:00 a. m. ～5:00p. m. daily, and until

5:30 p.m. during the sum mer.

Information: 9419 4677.

1. Where can you spend the night in a tour?

A. Cook’s Cottage.

B. Westfield Centrepoint.

C. Sydney Tower.

D. Sovereign Hill.

2. What is the time that Cook’s Cottage is open on Saturday in the summer?

A. 11:00 a.m.～2:00 p.m.

B. 5:00 p.m.～10:30 p.m.

C. 9:00 a.m.～5:30 p.m.

D. 9:00 a.m.～5:00 p.m.

3. The Anchorage Restaurant is _____.

A. in Williamstown

B. in the centre of the city

C. in Anchorage

D. in a Cantonese fishing port

4. If you want to buy the best products in Australia, you may call _______.

A. 9397 6270

B. 9231 9300

C. 5331 1944

D. 9419 4677

    Sand begins as tiny pieces of rock that get smaller and smaller as wind and weather wear them down. Sand dunes(沙丘) are formed as winds move the sand across the desert. Bit by bit, the dunes grow over the years, always moving with the winds and changing the shape. Most of them are only a few feet tall, but they can grow to be several hundred feet high.

    There is, however, much more to a desert than sand. In the deserts of the southwestern United States, cliffs (悬崖) and deep valleys were formed from thick mud that once lay beneath a sea more than millions of years ago. Over the centuries, the water dried up. Wind, sand, rain, heat and cold all wore away at the remaining rocks. The faces of the desert mountains are always changing—very, very slowly—as these forces of nature continue to work on the rock.

    Most deserts have a surprising variety of life. There are plants, animals and insects that have adapted to life in the desert. During the heat of the day, a visitor may see very few signs of living things, but as the air begins to cool in the evening, the desert comes to life. As the sun begins to rise again in the sky, the desert once again becomes quiet and lonely.

1. Many plants may survive in deserts when

A. the rain is spread out in a year

B. the rain falls only in a few weeks

C. there is little rain in a year

D. it is dry all the year round

2. Sand dunes are formed when _______.

A. sand piles up gradually

B. there is plenty of rain in a year

C. the sea has dried up over the years

D. pieces of rock get smaller

3. The underlined sentence in the third paragraph probably means that in a desert there is ______.

A. too much sand

B. more sand than before

C. nothing except sand

D. something else besides sand

4. It can be learned from the text that in a desert _________.

A. there is no rainfall throughout the year

B. life exists in rough conditions

C. all sand dunes are a few feet high

D. rocks are worn away only by wind and heat

    But history has a way of uncovering its secrets. On Nov. 5, this year, three members of a family from Finland arrived at Halifax and laid fresh flowers at the grave. “This is our baby,” says Magda Schleifer, 68, a banker. She grew up hearing stories about a great-aunt named Maria Panula, 42, who had sailed on the Titanic for America to be reunited with her husband. According to the information Mrs. Schleifer had gathered, Panula gave up her seat on a lifeboat to search for her five children—including a 13-month-old boy named Eino—from whom she had become separated during the final minutes of the crossing. “We thought they were all lost in the sea,” says Schleifer.

    Now, using teeth and bone pieces taken from the baby’s grave, scientists have compared the DNA from the Unknown Child with those collected from members of five families who lost relatives on the Titanic and never recovered the bodies. The result of the test points only to one possible person: young Eino. Now, the family sees no need for a new grave. “He belongs to the people of Halifax,” says Schleifer. “They’ve taken care of him for 90 years.”

Adapted from People, November 25, 2002

1. The baby traveled on the Titanic with his _________.

A. mother

B. parents

C. aunt

D. relatives

2. What is probably the boy’s last name?

A. Sehleifer.

B. Eino.

C. Magda.

D. Panula.

3. Some members of the family went to Halifax and put flowers at the child’s grave on Nov. 5 ________.

A. 1912

B. 1954

C. 2002

D. 2004

4. This text is mainly about how

A. the unknown baby’s body was taken from the north Atlantic

B. the unknown baby was buried in Halifax, Nova Scotia

C. people found out who the unknown baby was

D. people took care of the unknown baby for 90 years

    The sea is always present in Helsinki. When you take a walk over the great open space of the central square, you will hear seabirds screaming. When you take the tram, suddenly and unexpectedly, you are faced with calm, shining blue sea. You may notice that people in Helsinki do not rush about as in other cities. Instead, they walk along the roads, politely letting other people by.

    A usual way to see Helsinki for the first time is to start out by the boats. You will walk by the elderly women selling fish and vegetables in the market square and find yourself in front of a beautiful park. You may enjoy a pleasant walk in the park for a few hours and then take the tram. Trams are the perfect way to get around in Helsinki. Watching the old houses, parks, theatres, churches, shops, restaurants and people in the streets, you may have a slightly sad film feeling to it.

    The pale summer nights are another wonder in the city. Following the waterfront (滨水区) of the city after sunset, you couldn't help stopping and listening to the sweet silence, interrupted only by the screaming seabirds and leaving fishing boats.

    However, in some way, Helsinki is also the most modern city in northern Europe. You will surely want to visit the white Glass Palace, the modern art museum, and all those extremely popular cafes and design stores.

1. Helsinki is called a city of two colors mainly because of the colors of its

A. 19^th century buildings, boats and parks

B. 19^th century buildings, boats and seabirds

C. old houses, parks and trams

D. old buildings, boats and the sea

2. The best way to see most of Helsinki is to go

A. by boat

B. by bus

C. by tram

D. on foot

3. The 19^th century buildings, the white Glass Palace, popular cafes and design shops in Helsinki all show that Helsinki is _______.

A. both splendid and traditional

B. both quiet and noisy

C. both historical and modern

D. both old and new

4. This passage is most likely to be found in ______.

A. a story-book

B. a geography textbook

C. a research report

D. a travel magazine